Olive Branch

[NYC_Eer]

All good points, and certainly with merit. However in business as you no doubt are well aware, the bottom line is what dictates your overall business strategy and ultimate success. With labor being one of your largest fixed costs (you must have labor unless you work alone) you have to value the costs those folks mean to your bottom line and final profitability. Ideally you can pay them more because they help you produce a good product that grows your market, which apparently you already do.

My point is those variables you pointed out as legitimate as they are, cannot be arbitrarily set by Federal minimum wage standards. Not all employees produce the same, have the same skills, or offer the same work effort. You reward those who are more productive, creative, and skilled, while they help you improve your product or service to expand your customer base and make more profits with which to pay them even better.

Minimum wages at best set a floor on some of those attributes, but in no way can they ever be flexible enough to be determinative on your overall bottom line, or pay your better workers what they are "worth" to your overall success.

I would argue the minimum wage should be increased in just about any state that hasn't done so recently, but I wouldn't argue that the minimum wage in WV should be different than it is in NY. The cost of living should be factored in.

 

[atlkvb]

I would argue the minimum wage should be increased in just about any state that hasn't done so recently, but I wouldn't argue that the minimum wage in WV should be different than it is in NY. The cost of living should be factored in.

That's just not practical. You'd no more want "minimum" wages set from State to State than you'd want "maximum" wages set in those same regions. Matter of fact how can an argument be made to pay employees the least amount possible, but not set the maximum level they also can earn?

The illogic of that argument works at both ends. We don't set "minimum" pricing on clothing, food, or other goods and services...so why do we allow the government to set the minimum price we pay labor to help produce those things? That either ends up making them way more expensive than they otherwise would be, or prohibitively cheaper than otherwise would be dictated based on the actual factors and market forces behind those prices.